As with a lot of injuries and illness, Traumatic Brain Injury, or TBI, can result from a wide arrange of symptoms or disabilities. Traumatic Brain Injury typically results from a blow to the head and results are devastating. In order for a person to wrap their head around suffering from a traumatic brain injury or watching a family member go through it, a person has to understand the ramifications the injury holds.
The brain is the moodiest of all organs and body parts, and unfortunately, once injured, it can’t heal like other parts of the body can. Depending on what part of the brain is injured, functioning is possible. Symptoms can include headache, memory loss, problems focusing, and mood swings. Typically, a CAT scan or MRI is needed in order to get a picture of the brain to officially diagnose.
If a person loses consciousness and/or experiences confusion or disorientation for shorter than 30 minutes, the brain injury can be labeled as mild. If someone experiences loss of consciousness or disorientation for over 30 minutes or has a major skull injury, the brain injury is considered severe. The effects of a severe brain injury can be intense, sometimes resulting in a completely unresponsive state.
Traumatic Brain Injury stems from a sudden blow to the head, so typically the results are going to be fairly obvious, but it is beyond important to seek medical attention right away. If somebody experiences a blow to the head that results in the brain swelling, doctors can open the skull to allow the brain to stop swelling without causing permanent brain damage. A person’s best bet will always be seeking medical attention, whether they were unconscious or disorientated for five minutes for fifty.
Some problems a person with a traumatic brain injury may face is cognitive problems, sensory processing, communication, and mental and behavior health. Cognitive problems include thinking, memory and reasoning, and if a person suffers an injury that effects cognition, they might not be able to function in the way they did beforehand. Sensory processing includes all of the persons senses, including sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell, so if a person suffers an injury to the sensory processing part of their brain, they might not be able to use their senses in the same way they did before the injury. Finally, behavior and mental health might be affected depending on the area where the brain is injured. This can include depression, heightened anxiety, complete changes in the patients personality, having the inability to act in a correct way in a social setting, and even possibly acting out.
The brain is one of the trickiest body parts a person has, so injuries to the brain can be severe or even deadly, which is why wearing helmets and protecting your head is one of the most important things you can do.
